Crochet Photos

A while back I got several emails from people suggesting I post photos of the crochet patterns included in my books on my website. Since there aren’t photographs of the finished products in the books, it did seem like a good idea. A good idea, but something I would have to focus on to complete, so I put it off.

The combination of my web guy saying he was going to Africa for six weeks and the fact that I was making some changes to my website finally got me to get it together to do the pictures. It sounds easy, particularly these days with digital cameras. Just snap a few pictures and upload them. Well, it isn’t quite that easy.

First, I couldn’t find any of the Filet Bookmarks from By Hook or By Crook, so I had to make another one. Ditto with the Granny Square Washcloth from Hooked on Murder, though it went a lot faster. Where to take the photos was also an issue. I thought of a bench in my yard that gets nice light, but finally turned my dinging room into my photo studio. The three french doors with a southern exposure let in good light. Then there was the matter of how to display the projects. The bookmark and granny square were pretty easy. My son lent me a black fuzzy board that made a good backdrop for the smaller pieces. I wanted to get a dress form to put the Hugs of Comfort shawl from Dead Men Don't Crochet on. Well, I was looking for an excuse to get one anyway. Joann’s had them on sale, but when I went to the local super store expecting to buy one, I found out they are by order only.

I couldn’t wait for the dress form - remember my web guy is off to Africa next Monday. So, my dining room chair got to wear the shawl. I used the same chair to drape the Cuddle Blanket from By Hook or By Crook over. That was after I got my cat off of the shawl and cuddle blanket. He had rolled them together and was on the way to turning them into a cat coccoon. He left his mark on the black fuzzy board, too. Thank heavens for those lint remover wands.

I popped my memory stick in my computer and looked through the photos. The cat was in on that too. Fourteen pound Rocky has this habit of coming up behind me and jumping over the back of my chair and landing on my shoulders, then working his way into my lap where he does his best to get me to pay attention to him instead of whatever I’m trying to do. So, it took longer than it could have to choose the photos and send them to my web guy.

There was a lot of back and forth between us getting it straight what photo went with what book. Who could blame him? There are a lot of hooks in the titles and he isn’t a crocheter.

Now at last the photos are in the right order and connected with the right book and out there for everyone to see at www.BettyHechtman.com.

What's in a Name

I went to Border’s to sign stock of By Hook or By Crook. I can never leave a bookstore empty handed and besides I had a nice 25 percent off coupon. I picked up a dictionary of names and another book that promises more than 30,000 names from around the world. And there was the Edward doll from Twilight. What can I say, I collect odd dolls and I really liked the book and movie. What else can you call a collection that includes Barbie the detective, Star Trek characters and a Ron Howard doll from Happy Days among others?

I already had a couple of books of names, but they are light weight compared to these new ones. Naming characters is a big deal. What you choose says a lot about their age, background, nationality and what soap operas were popular. When I was writing a picture book for a workshop I took at University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival, I wanted to find a name for my dog main character. He was a dog with an attitude who I was sure would roll his eyes at me if I tried to give him any sort of cutsy name. When I saw Monty in a book of names, I knew it belonged to him.

I was reading the Sisters in Crime Newsletter and Charlaine Harris talked about the care she takes in picking out names for her protagonists. She said she might get other character’s names by thumbing through the phone book, but not her main character. She picks their names to be reflective of their lives. As an example, she mentioned choosing Lily for a character needed a tender name despite her tough, practical exterior.

I wish I could say I had some complicated reason for giving Molly Pink her name. Actually it just popped in my head one day and I knew that was her name. It was only later that I realized I had some kind of unconscious thing for names with color. I honestly didn’t notice Molly Pink, Barry Greenberg or Blue Schwartz all had colors in their names. At first anyway. With Blue as I was writing I realized both her names were colors. Schwartz is German for black. I ended up incorporating the bruise aspect of her black and blue name in the book.

The cool thing about the books I got today is that they have international names, so if I have say a Korean character, I can find an authentic name. It’s also fun to read what the names mean. The name dictionary seems pretty authentic in the derivation’s it offer. Better than another book I have that tries to determine meaning by what celebrities have a particular name. I just have to be careful not to get so enamored in reading through all the lists that I use up all my time.

A yarn update. I started knitting with the yarn that was such a nightmare going from hank to ball. So far, it seems to be very nice to work with. It survived the test of unraveling and didn’t get tangled and I was able to start over with no problem other than being annoyed that I had to start over. I’ll post a picture when it’s done.

The Printers Row Book Fair was lots of fun despite the cold and rain. I am sure glad I brought a sweater, a jacket and an umbrella. A lot of nice people stopped by the table and bought books. Julie Hyzy did another great job of organizing the Mystery Writers of America Booth. Margery Flax from MWA supplied us with brownies and the warmth of her personality. And I discovered an amazing yarn store down the street from the fair.

It should be warmer and dryer this Sunday at noon when I sign as part of the Los Angeles Romance Authors book fair at the Encino Barnes & Noble.

Hank and Me

As I continue my discovery tour of yarn, I have found something surprising. Paying more for yarn doesn’t mean it’s going to be easier to work with. I bought yarn at both of the local yarn stores I stopped in. The garnet colored worsted I got to make a shawl came in sort of a twisted hank rather than a ball or whatever the shape is called that Red Heart and Vanna’ Choice come in. With the Red Heart or all the yarn I’ve gotten at Michael’s or Joann’s, you just find and end and begin with your project. Not so with Mr. Hank.

I’ve heard you can use the back of chair to drop it over while you wind a ball. You can use a friend’s hands to hold it while you roll it in a ball, or you can use a yarn swift. I bought one a while ago, but had never used it. It looks kind of like the underside of an umbrella and comes with a twirly thing that makes the actual ball. I tried to put Mr Hank on the swift and threaded onto the twirly ball maker, but instead of turning it into a nice orb, he turned into a nightmare of tangles. I did finally manage to painstakingly untangle the mess and hand roll it into a ball, but luckily I was watching television which at least made the two hours it took entertaining. Of course, I was sure I had done something wrong.

The next day I took the rest of the yarn back to the store where I bought it. I had noticed they had a yarn swift and thought if they showed me how to do it, I’d be home free. Well, it turned out Mr. Hank 2 was all twisted and even with hanging it on the yarn swift the correct way, it took an hour and a half to wind a ball by hand because it had been badly twisted by the manufacturer. I asked the store owner why the yarn came in hanks and she said it was all about marketing. If it were in balls, shoppers would squeeze them and mess up the yarn. So basically it’s for her convenience, not her customers.

I will say that Mr. Hank 3 did work on the yarn swift and flew into a ball in a few minutes. The same for the hank of yarn made from recycled sari’s.

The cashmere yarn I got last week did come in a nice workable ball, which I certainly appreciated.

When I tried knitting with the garnet yarn it seemed okay to work with. I made a gauge swatch for the shawl and it didn’t split or knot up. I figured that was the least it could do after the pain I went through turning it into balls. And for all that effort, each ball wasn’t that big. All three together barely make one skein of Vanna’s Choice.

The sari yarn was a different story. It doesn’t like being unraveled. The threads come loose and become kind of a halo that grabs onto everything around it. I decided simple was best with it and am making a skinny scarf with double crochets on a big hook. Even though it didn’t want to be unraveled, I fought with it until it came undone. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I had gotten mixed up about which side was up on the scarf and started the next row on the side of it. I am pleased to report that after starting over, it is now going the right way. However, when I picked up some Lion’s Brand cotton yarn to make a scarf, I sighed with relief and my fingers flew and any unraveling that needed to be done was a breeze.

I have big plans for the pink cashmere. I found a pattern for a ruffly scarf that should be beautiful. The question is how will it be to work with?

The good part of all these problems is they are material for the next crochet mystery.

By Hook or By Crook came out Tuesday. Berkley does such a great job with covers. The colors of my three book’s covers look so nice next to each other. I already stopped into a Borders in downtown Chicago and signed their stock. Saturday I’ll be signing books at the Printers Row Book Fair at the Mystery Writers of America booth from 1-3. And next Sunday, I’ll be signing books around noon at the Encino Barnes & Noble along with other members of Los Angeles Romance Authors.

A Second Look at Yarn Shopping

Remember the experiences at yarn stores I wrote about a couple of weeks ago? I decided to give it another shot. I’m ready to start writing the fifth crochet mystery and in this one Molly Pink is going to be learning about yarn. If she’s going to learn, I have to find out about it first. I have already collected some interesting yarns at Michael’s and Joann’s, but the really good stuff is in the small stores.

I picked the two closest yarn stores. After my previous experience I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I went with an open mind. The first store had one woman working the counter and a bunch of women around a center table. I noticed right away they were all knitting. I ended up hanging around for awhile before I was helped. I wondered how these small stores stay in business. I found out. They are busy. She had customers calling and people who’d come in before me to tend to before she could get to me.

I was actually looking for some yarn for a project I’d found in a book. It called for nylon worsted weight yarn, which I hadn’t been able to find at Michael’s or Joann’s. The Knot Garden didn’t have any either, but I found out I could use any worsted weight yarn for the shawl. I’m kind of shy, but I finally explained I wrote a mystery series with a crochet theme. Everyone seemed interested, particularly when I explained the books took place in the area.

Everyone was very friendly and anxious to show me their projects and offer knitting advice. The clerk said if anyone bought yarn there, they were welcome to hang around and get knitting help. They were curious about crochet, but none of them were crocheters. I gave out book marks for all my books and left some on the counter. I left having bought some beautiful garnet-colored shiny yarn for my shawl project.

I’d Rather Be Knitting was only a short distance away. Again there were a group of women around a table, working on projects. The two owners were very friendly and I’d gotten over my initial shyness at the first store, so explained right away about the crochet mysteries and my desire to learn about yarn. Somehow I had expected the yarn to be similar in both stores, but it was completely different. Gorgeous at both places, but each seemed to have different brands and types. The owners told me Kate Jacobs who wrote The Friday Night Knitting Club had done an event at their store, which impressed me. That book is a super hit. They said they might be interested in doing some kind of event with me. We’re going to discuss.

I bought some yarn there, too. A beautiful skein of pale pink cashmere. It cost a fortune, but both Molly and I want to see what it is like to work with. My plan is to make swatches of all the fancy yarn I buy. Molly is going to be doing the same, so it is part crochet adventure and part book research. The owner of the second store assured me the one skein was enough to make a scarf. She showed me one she was making in blue cashmere. She was using big needles and the result was lacy and luscious. She suggested I use a big hook.

I’m sorry to say all the yarn is still in the bags. By Hook or By Crook comes out Tuesday and my editor asked me to write a Dear Reader letter for the Berkley website. I’m going to Chicago on Wednesday. Going away always means lots of stuff to take care of. For any of you in the Chicago area, I’m signing books next Saturday at the Printers Row Fair in downtown Chicago from 1-3 at the Mystery Writers of America booth. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the weather is better than last year when the tornado sirens went off during a thunder storm. But just in case, this time I’m taking my umbrella.

Serendipity

Friday afternoon I took the copy edit of By Hook or Crook to FedEx and let out a sigh of relief. The manuscript would get to my editor right on time. Afterwards I was trying to decide which Trader Joe’s to go to. Should I pick the closest, but possibly get stuck in after school traffic, or go to the further one which has lots and lots of parking and no school buses involved?

The far away one won.

While I was wandering the store, I saw a familiar face. A woman who used to take indoor cycling with me and who I hadn’t seen for a long time. We said hello and shared a few gym comments and then went on shopping.

We were in the produce department and my only excuse is that as a vegetarian I get very excited about heirloom tomatoes and bags with three different colored potatoes. It was only when I passed her again that my vegetable induced brain fog cleared and I remembered. Pam is a celebrant. In case you don’t know what that means – she presides over funerals. Maybe presides is the wrong word. Maybe handles funerals is a better word. The point is she makes the service very personal. No template where you just fill in the names and dates. She had told me about it during our shared cycling classes. I liked the title celebrant and it stuck with me. When I wrote a funeral scene in Hooked on Murder I mentioned the family had gotten the A list celebrant, while actually picturing Pam. But by then Pam wasn’t coming to the gym anymore, so I never got a chance to tell her. Until today.

When I passed her in front of the dairy case, I told her about a celebrant being in the book and gave her a bookmark from the supply I conveniently always have in my purse. She was surprised and happy with the news. I realized she didn’t even know I was a writer. That’s the thing about the gym – we’re all in tee shirts and stretching pants and barely know each others names let alone what anybody does outside of the gym. She gave me her card and said she’d like to write something about my book for a newsletter she writes for. We’re going to keep in touch.

If I’d gone to the other Trader Joe’s none of that would have happened.

What Almost Wasn't

The trip to Las Vegas turned out well. It still amazes me how much stuff three people needed for four days. I always like to be prepared when driving through the desert and had lots and lots of water, snacks, and umbrellas (in case we needed shade). Happily, we didn’t need any of it. Despite most of the backseat being taken up with whatever wouldn’t fit in the truck, I was able to crochet for quite a while both going and coming home. I was finishing up another cuddle blanket, which is the pattern in my third book now titled By Hook or By Crook.

When I went to the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace I was happy to see that the giant horse that stands at the entrance to FAO Schwartz was still there, meaning the store was, too. I went to the second floor prepared to see the crochet kit and relive my big moment all over again. When I passed the spot where the little blue suitcases with their granny square banners had been piled up, some drawing kits where on the eye level shelf instead. I had to search the area to even find the craft kits and when I did, they were all crammed together and I had a hard time locating the crochet kit.

It struck me as I looked through the cornucopia of craft kits, that had this been how they were displayed when I walked through the second floor a few years back, everything would have been different. I never would have even seen the banner with the granny square. No granny squares would have meant the idea of putting crochet and mystery together probably never would have occurred to me.

How interesting that my life turned on a display.

Food for Thought

My family’s favorite part of the crochet mysteries are the recipes. They are my official tasters and love their job. They love it so much that both my husband and son are urging me to put in more than one recipe per book.

In all fairness, I used to cook a lot, and I guess they miss it. Okay, I don’t guess, I know they miss it because I’m always hearing about what I used to make. But back to the recipes in the books.

Hooked on Murder (which I found out just went into a second printing) features Helen’s Pound Cake. Helen was my mother and the pound cake was her all occasion favorite to make. My mother always made a big deal out of birthdays, and she liked to make cakes for people who normally wouldn’t have had a birthday cake.

I followed in her footsteps and the pound cake became a regular in my baking repertoire. Even so, I wanted to bake it again when I was adding the recipe to the book. I was including a recipe for butter cream icing and planned to ice the cake when it was cool. But my husband and son were so excited about an actual home made cake in the house, pieces of it started disappearing before it stopped steaming. By the time it was cool enough to ice, there was a little over a slice left. I had to make the full amount of icing to check how it turned out, but there is only so much butter cream icing you can put on one piece of cake. So, I trashed the rest. I’m still hearing about that. I didn’t think there was much you could do with a bowl of icing, but they are still tossing ideas out about what they could have done with it.

I included a recipe for cheesecake cupcakes in the Dead Men Don’t Crochet. I don’t have quite the same emotional connection with that recipe. It was one I came up with a long time ago, long before cupcakes were such an in item. I made several batches of them when I was checking the recipe. The recipe made eighteen of them and with the buttery graham cracker crust and the cream cheese top, they were rich and delicious. They lasted a little longer than the pound cake.

The third book now called By Hook or By Crook has a recipe for California Noodle Pudding. You can eat it hot or cold, as a side dish or a main course for breakfast. It has fruit and nuts and a little bit of sugar and vanilla, so it could almost be a dessert. It was my standard pot luck entry and so good I’d find myself saying mmmm when I ate it. This is another reason I don’t cook that much anymore. I like my own creations too much.

When I was in Chicago, I spent time going through my mother’s recipe file. I found all kinds of good stuff like a chocolate cake made with mash potatoes, and another made with yeast. Then there was one she called the Truant Officers Carrot Cake. I’m guessing that since my mother worked in the office of an elementary school, that’s who she got the recipe from. But I decided to go with one of my mother’s party creations. Nobody liked to give a party more than my mother. She always said she’d be planning her next party in the midst of her current one.

Since we basically had no money, my mother always made everything and generally something inexpensive. My parents had lots of brunch parties with waffle. For evening events, she came up with a sweet and a savory variation of appetizer puffs. I’m going to use the recipes for both in the fourth book. After she baked the small puffs, she’d fill some with crab salad and the others with homemade custard and a dollop of whipped cream. Just reading over the recipe reminded me of her standing in the kitchen, stirring the puff batter in a saucepan (you have to heat some of the ingredients). She would say they were so easy to make and then worry they weren’t going to turn out. My mother always worried that whatever she cooked wasn’t going to turn out.

Of course, everything always did.